Exploring Candle Magick: Candle Spells, Charms, Rituals, and Devinations

Preface

A Light in the Darkness: Candles in History, Lore, and Aromatherapy

I shall light a candle of understanding in thine heart,

which shall not be put out.

—The Apocrypha

What would a romantic dinner for two be without candlelight? How sad would a birthday cake seem without candles? We think little of these things because candles are commonplace. Nonetheless, we are certainly not the first people to use them for everything from religious observances to special occasions, not to mention lighting.

Candle History in Brief

History is very sketchy about the candle's humble beginnings. It is suspected that in the farthest reaches of human history, animal fat was used to create pseudo candles to light the night and chase away any evil spirits lurking about. In written chronicles, candle holders dating to the fourth century B.C. have been found in Egypt, which indicates the likelihood of a much older origin date. Evidence also suggests that the Egyptians used tallow from suet as the main ingredient in candles. The Greeks and Romans seemed to follow suit, adding a handy wick to the construction.

The idea of fat-laden candles may seem odd to us, and rather messy, but fat is only one of the unusual ingredients to show up in candle-making's history. Others include:

Wax gathered from insects and molded with seeds (Japan).

Wax gathered from boiling cinnamon (India).

Cerio tree wax (Southwestern U.S.).

Bayberry wax (New England).

Spermaceti from sperm whales (various locations).

Candelilla leaves, esparto grass, palm leaf wax (various locations).

Stormy petrel and candlefish (Pacific Northwest).

The word candle comes from a Latin term meaning torch or to make bright. The symbolic value of the word and the candle's illumination wasn't lost on early theologians. The Catholic church began using a white candle to represent Christ's purity, God's power, and spiritual awareness around 5 A.D.

Something resembling modern candles started to appear around the 1200s. This is when we see the first dipped tapers made from tallow and beeswax. Beeswax was by far preferable in both appearance and smell, but it was also very expensive. So, for a while, beeswax candles became a sign of wealth. This was also about the time that color began to be added to candles.

Around this same time candle-maker guilds were well established. One guild was specifically for those who made candles from animal fat, and another group made them from beeswax. In Paris, the guilds were taxed for candle production, which is a pretty good indication that business was booming.

Candle-molding techniques followed in the 1400s, making candles more accessible to the general public. With this change in the industry, governments looked for more ways to profit from this ancient device. Meanwhile, in the late 1500s, the Catholic church began using red candles at mass because it seemed to improve the impact of sermons on those in attendance.

Come the 17th century, the English banned homemade candles, requiring people to buy a license to make them, and then pay taxes on the candles produced! In the 18th century European governments were often regulating the size, weight, and price of candles. By the 1800s candle-making machines were born, along with the first matches, and by 1850 candle crafters were using paraffin.

Meanwhile, across the sea in America, people were presenting gifts of candles to newlyweds so that the couple would never want, and as a wish for many children. Since that time the world of candlecraft has been something of an open book. Commercial candle companies have sprung up around the world, offering candles in every color and shape imaginable. And thanks to books and classes on the subject, many individuals have also taken up the art as a pastime in recent years. All this is very good news for the magickal practitioners who want to have variety and/or the option of making candles from scratch to saturate them with personal energy.

Superstitions and Beliefs

I firmly believe that many magickal practices hid themselves under the safe, and more socially acceptable, veneer of folklore and superstition in many settings. This is especially true during the years when magick and witchcraft were taboos, and people feared for their lives. After all, most people don't blink at a superstitious act that's been repeated for generations...and they hardly think it magickal. Upon further investigation, however, the imprint of magick abounds in many of these beliefs. Here are just a few of the superstitions surrounding candles:

Luck and Blessings:

Always light a candle with your right hand for good fortune. If the candle should go immediately out, however, bad luck will follow. This belief could easily be adapted to a candle spell for luck!

Never singe the base of a candle to make it fit firmly. This brings misfortune. So, for ritual and spellcraft it might be a better idea to melt wax into the container and then place the candle within so it's secure.

Allow Yule candles to burn out naturally for blessings and luck. Add this idea to your holiday celebrations.

Never light three candles with one match, or have three candles burning together. This brings mishaps. This is one area where magick differs, as three is a sacred number to the Goddess and represents the triune nature of humankind.

Only a woman named Mary should snuff the candles on Christmas day so the blessing isn't lost. This one isn't overly practical, but interesting!

Give the gift of a bayberry candle on New Year's Eve to friends to whom you wish luck, prosperity, and health. Note that this should be burned completely on New Year's Eve for the greatest effect. This belief is perfect for magick just as it is.

Money:

If you wish to grow rich, never light a candle from a burning fire. Use this as a guideline when working prosperity and money magick.

Protection:

If it's storming outside, light a blessed candle for safety. Most magickal practitioners would likely use a white candle for this purpose, as white is the color of protection.

Lighting a candle at a child's birth, after a death, and on one's birthday affords extra protection from evil. This is a great idea all the way around. At a birth ceremony, the light honors the spirit of the child coming into this world. At death, it shows the spirit the way out into the next incarnation. And on your birthday, a candle reminds you of your own light, which should always be honored.

Signs and Omens:

A candle that goes out during a ritual indicates the presence of a restless ghost. Actually, I've often found this to be very true. If a spirit shows up at a ritual it will not, however, be able to enter the sacred circle without permission. Use your own discretion here, being aware that not all spirits are nice, nor do all of them have good intentions.

In ancient Greece if a girl could blow on a candle flame and then re-spark it, she was marked as a vestal virgin and given the task of tending Vesta's sacred fires. Vesta is a fantastic goddess for a candle crafter to call upon for blessings in his or her art.

Candles that burn blue or have wax that forms a winding sheet around the base reveal the presence of spirits. Alternatively some people consider this a death omen. In magick, watching the wax or flame of a candle is a common form of divination, and there are tons of meanings associated with a flame's movements, which will be covered later in this book.

If a candle will not light, a storm is coming. This is actually true because of the dampness in the air.

A candle sparking bright portends a letter for the person sitting across from it (see Chapter 2).

Accidentally knocking a candle over and having it go out indicates a forthcoming marriage in the family (see Chapter 2).

If a person can revive a sputtering candle it indicates he or she is virtuous and pure of heart (see Chapter 2).

Seeing a ring in the candle flame indicates an engagement or marriage (see Chapter 2).

A lump of soot on the wick of a candle reveals that a stranger will soon visit (see Chapter 2).

Wishes:

The ritual of blowing out birthday candles may have originated with rites for Artemis. The key is blowing out all the candles at once. The smoke that follows carries your wishes to the heavens. This is a great bit of wishcraft that works wonderfully just as it is. Remember, however, that silence is power in this magick. Telling the wish dissipates the energy behind it.

Candles and Aromatherapy

Although it may seem odd to include aromatherapy in a section about history and superstition, the topics are intimately tied together. Historically, the use of aroma is well known in mysticism and religion. Ancient temple priests and priestesses burned incense, believing that the aroma pleased the gods and the smoke carried prayers to the heavens. The ancient Babylonians even went so far as to put perfume in the blocks that formed the temples, and in India many sacred spaces had sandalwood walls for much the same reason.

As early as 1500 B.C., healers were using aromatics like lavender to improve a patient's disposition and speed recovery. Egyptians used aromatics to treat depression, for example. In Greece, Hippocrates studied the effects of aromas on healing and concluded that scented baths or massages could be very beneficial to humankind.

And where did these people and others like them come by the applications for various aromas? Why, the folklore and mythology of the plants from which the aromas come, of course! Much of these myths and tales originated in Arabia, China, and India where investigating plant properties was quite common. This information, laden with magick, was then carried with clever traders via caravan around the known world. This, of course, also served to increase the price of the goods, as they had such wondrous powers.

Even with all this excitement, the actual science of aromatherapy didn't begin to form until the late 1920s. It's interesting, however, that many of the ancient correspondences for aromas remained: lavender for peace, lemon and clove for cleansing, and so forth. This means that the magickal candle maker has a lot of options from which to choose in considering the scent of a candle.

Here's a brief chart that you can use as a helpmate. Note that I have focused mostly on magickal aromatherapy associations here. In magickal aromatherapy, the scent released by burning the candle changes the vibrations in and around a person's aura, which in turn supports whatever magickal work he or she is doing if the aroma is chosen correctly.

Apple: Health, joy.

Berry: Good fortune, abundance, happiness.

Cedar: Cleansing, courage, purification.

Chamomile: Coping with life changes.

Cinnamon: Energy, improved appetite.

Frankincense: Blessings, decreasing anxiety.

Ginger: Power, settling the spirit.

Grapefruit: Refreshment, lifting despondency.

Honeysuckle: Prosperity, psychic awareness, safety.

Jasmine: Attracting a man, improving meditative focus.

Lavender: Rest, peace.

Lemon: Tonic quality, cleansing.

Lilac: Harmony, mental awareness.

Lotus: Spirituality, enlightenment.

Mint: Money, rejuvenation.

Myrrh: Banishing, turning spells, healing.

Orange: Improving sleep, tonic quality.

Patchouli: Keeping away insects (actual or figurative).

Peach: Wish fulfillment, wisdom, longevity.

Peppermint: Decreasing mental stress.

Pineapple: Welcome, hospitality.

Rose: Balancing feminine energies, love, friendship.

Rosemary: Memory retention.

Sage: Cleansing, wisdom.

Sandalwood: Self-confidence, spirituality.

Thyme: Fairy magick, psychism.

Vetiver: Transformation, shapeshifting, attracting a woman.

A common question that comes up at this point is where exactly does one get the scents for candles and how do you add them? I'll cover this issue in detail in Chapter 1. For now, suffice it to say that you can make your own aromatics or buy them, and adding scents to candles is incredibly simple, so don't sweat it!

Bear in mind that this list is only a starting point. You can rely on common aromatherapy correspondences, look to the metaphysical associations for the plant from which an aroma came, or just follow personal vision. There is no right or wrong here, save what makes sense to you and what seems to best support your spiritual goals.

So there you have it, all wrapped up in wax! No matter where one looks, it seems that candles have been shining into human affairs, from those of state to those of spirit, for a very long time. We are now simply going to take candle-lighting to a different level, one with will, purpose, and perfect love as a guide.

Introduction

For as long as we live, our path will be lit like the flame of the

candle. Our home will shelter and protect us so the flame

will burn ever